The new trends in food production
lead to an increased need for efficient
sanitary practices and consequently
a more frequent use of chemical
disinfection. In this study 10
Staphylococcus aureus strains were tested
for resistance and adaptation responses
towards Quaternary Ammonium
Compounds (QAC). Minimum
Inhibitory Concentration (MIC)
determinations were performed in
order to evaluate the strains resistance
to each sanitizer. One strain showed
high resistance to QACs. Increasing
disinfecting concentration resulted
in the adaptation of Staphylococcus
aureus. The final MICs, however,
did not exceed the concentrations
used in working solutions in the food
processing plants. Most antimicrobials
were observed to cause crossadaptation
to other disinfectants.
Results obtained in this study may be
valuable when designing a rotation
of disinfectants in food processing
plants, since very little information is
available on how the rotation should
be performed and which disinfectants
to use.
